Marketing ideas to bring in more customers

Our tea house is a take out version. Sorta like a coffee house, but we only do tea, light pastries and limited lunch menu. You may enjoy your tea in out setting or take it with you. I am trying to increase a traffic flow. We are in a small strip mall area and traffic can be limited. I need brain storming ideas to help in getting new customers, any ideas?

1. Mailing list with both e mail address and home address. Strategy: a.send newsletter for any special sales and new products. b. mail postcards - it's the cheapest form of advertisements and most effective.

2. Discount card. Customers buy 7 teas and they get one free.3. Invite a speaker to a topic of interest.4. Invite a guitarist or harpist to play.

Congrats on your new tea venture. Have you tried doing a press release for the local paper? I have found these to be tremendously valuable (and free) as far as letting people know what sets your business apart. Does your paper ever feature local businesses? If so, invite the writer to visit your business and ask them to feature it. Another idea is to align yourself with local charities and offer to donate a portion of your proceeds for the month to that charity...then, do a press release for the paper letting customers know that they can support that charity by visiting your business, and the charity can post fliers and put an announcement on their mailing list(website/email list) and ask people to visit your store and support them.

Are there other businesses in the immediate vicinity that would do a business discount with you? For example, next to my tea room is a woman who does (fabulous) facials, waxings and such. We have an arrangement where people can buy a package deal for two teas and recieve a parafin hand wax treatment for only $5.00. It brings in business from both groups of customers.

I have found the key is to find cheap, if not free advertising, get your name out there over and over and over and over again and figure out creative ways to put your business on the radar of folks who wouldn't have noticed you otherwise.

If you would like info on how to do press releases let me know...they aren't that difficult to compose and if done right, will attract attention that small ads often fail to do.